Four fatalities reported from deadly flesh-eating bacteria in Florida
Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University explains the dangers of vibrio, a deadly flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm waters, which has already claimed four lives in Florida.
PANAMA CITY — Another case of “flesh-eating” bacteria has hit the Florida Panhandle. Data from the Florida Department of Health indicates another person has died from vibrio vulnificus in Bay County.
Although the News Herald was unable to independently verify by the time of publication, WMBB’s Tom Lewis reported that the most recent death was a 78-year-old man on vacation at St. George Island in Franklin County.
The man, identified by ABC 13 as 78-year-old Alan Kidd, was vacationing with his family there when he reportedly contracted the bacteria through a cut on his leg. He developed a fever the next day.
As his condition worsened, he reportedly underwent five surgeries and spent two weeks in the ICU, but ultimately, died on August 4.
“He was just the best. He was all about family. He was all about giving. He was just a really good person,” Alan’s daughter Susan McNiel told ABC 13. “You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you. You just really don’t. He’s just all of our heroes.”
This brings the total number of deaths caused by vibrio vulnificus in Florida to five this year. The toll for Bay County is now two deaths and two infections.
This year, across Northwest Florida, there was one infection in Okaloosa County, one case in Walton County, and two cases in Escambia County. The total number of cases across the state is 16.
Vibrio thrives in warm brackish seawater and cases are known to spring up between May and October. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 80,000 yearly cases of the vibriosis in the United States, with 52,000 coming from eating contaminated seafood.
An article from Nature Reviews Disease Primers journal says that most vibrio infections lead to mild gastroenteritis. Vibrio vulnificus is the variant with the high mortality rate tracked by FDOH.
Wound and bloodstream infections of vibrio vulnificus have the most severe symptoms, with the bacteria killing one in five people who are infected. Those with pre-existing conditions or recent surgeries are the most at risk.
The reason many reports refer to the bacteria as “flesh-eating” is that it can cause necrotizing fasciitis, a condition where an infection becomes so severe that flesh around a wound dies.
The News Herald previously reported that some studies and organizations link sanitary sewer overflows, leaky septic tanks, heavy rains, and disturbance of underwater sediment to higher concentrations of vibrio vulnificus.
Researchers also claimed that rising surface water temperatures due to climate change are allowing the bacteria to become more prevalent in colder climates. They’ve found cases as far north as New York and Connecticut.
Vibrio vulnificus thrives in water temperatures between 68 and 95, but can grow in temperatures up to 105, according to the Florida Department of Health.
On Aug. 7 the temperature in St. Andrews Bay was near 87 and the water temperature on Panama City Beach was 85, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitoring stations.
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